TN CM Vijay to Meet Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar on August 3 Over Cauvery Issue

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will meet Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru on August 3 to demand the state’s share of Cauvery water on a pro-rata basis after accounting for rainfall deficits.

The Karnataka government confirmed the meeting on Monday following a request from Tamil Nadu. Official sources stated that Tamil Nadu will seek water releases proportional to reservoir inflows, arguing that if Karnataka receives about 40 percent of expected inflows, it should release 40 percent of Tamil Nadu’s stipulated share. The proposed Mekedatu project will also be on the meeting's agenda.

The proposed talks have drawn opposition from political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the DMK and PMK. The parties have urged Vijay to call off the visit, warning that bilateral negotiations could undermine Tamil Nadu’s legal position in the interstate water dispute.

This will mark the first bilateral meeting between the chief ministers of the two states regarding the issue since November 2012. In that previous meeting held in Bengaluru, then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa met her Karnataka counterpart Jagadish Shettar following a Supreme Court suggestion to find an amicable solution, though those talks failed to break the deadlock.